The Stars Where You Are
by snowdropped
Summary: In a world of hostility and distrust, she was the coveted prize, the key to victory for the New Order for Advancement of Humanity, NOAH. Held captive on a colony far from home, all she could pin her hopes on was a pilot and his heart. Rating likely to increase. Language and violence.
1. You're a King and I'm a Lionheart

Title is taken from On Top Of The World by Boys Like Girls.

* * *

**Act 1 | Scene 1**

_Where are your guts to fly__  
__Soaring through, through the night__  
__And if you take that last step__  
__I'll follow you__  
__Leave the edge and fly__  
__We're finally alive  
__  
(Skyway Avenue / We The Kings)_

* * *

_**Europa**_**, Xak-3**

'Pilot 12012209L, fall in at 0530hrs at the Captain's Quarters. Code blue, code blue.'

The transmission ended as quickly as it ended, dialog box flickering out of existence. Pilot 12012209L keyed in a code to acknowledge the message, then stood up as he removed his headgear. Leaving his headset – a single-ear headphone and microphone – on, he carried the bulky helmet in the crook of his arm as he ejected himself from the cockpit. Flashing a grin at Komui, the Chief Engineer of their mothership _Europa_, he made his way towards the pilot rooms.

His room, as every other pilot's, was a small capsule locked with advanced generation technology that included fingerprint and facial recognition as well as a voice control. It was a hassle to enter and exit, which served to encourage the pilots to use their rooms only when necessary. As he entered his room, 12012209L glanced at the digital clock that was built into the capsule wall. It read _2344_ hrs, which meant he could catch around five hours of sleep before he would have to get up again and report for duty. Living onboard the mothership meant that he sacrificed sleep and leisure for pressing matters, for example protecting the world from destruction by the New Order for Advancement of Humanity, better known as NOAH.

It was a trade-off he was willing to make, he thought as his single good eye landed on the framed photograph that sat on the desk. It was a photograph of a red haired boy, with two sparkling green eyes, with his arm slung around a girl who looked a few years younger than him. Her hair was tied up into two long pigtails and she was blushing slightly as she looked up at him.

Fate and choice had decreed that he leave her behind. He was one of the final descendants of Sector XI, the elite troops of whom had manned the First Generation Mobile Suits against aliens in AD 3900, and had been summoned to answer to the oath his ancestors had sworn – that if again a crisis befell humanity, whether of its own doing, and the Mobile Suits were to be brought back out into battle, the descendants of Sector XI would answer and helm the Mobile Suits, to at all costs save humanity.

The descendants of Sector XI were few and scattered, like the seeds of a dandelion carried far away. The new generation of Mobile Suits were named the _Innocence_, and as with all Mobile Suits, required a certain level of _Synchronization_ to be piloted. This _Synchronization_ made it difficult to find suitable pilots, as only the descendants of Sector XI had the genetic modifications required for successful _Synchronization_. However, on rare occasions there were regular humans who were able to _Synchronize_, known as the _Cresto IX_ due to their lack of affiliation to Sector XI. The pilots of Sector XI, such as 12012209L, were named Sectors, while those of Cresto IX were named Crests.

Sectors were loyal to the independent Black Order, which was founded solely for the protection of the world and eliminate any possible opponents such as the NOAH. The NOAH had become threatening over the past century, assuming aggressive stances and actions that were now endangering life on earth. With technological leaps and bounds, it was inevitable that they be stopped before they could deal more damage to the world. Already the Portugese and French had pledged allegiance to the NOAH, and it was in the Black Order's foremost interests to prevent any more support of the NOAH by national governments.

12012209L took a quick shower and was soon lying down on his bed. It was rare that sleep did not come to him immediately, but he found his thoughts drifting towards the photograph on the table. He had been 18 then, and her 16. They had met through a mutual friend, who had introduced them. They had clicked instantly, and had begun a serious relationship within the year. They had been planning to go to college together, as he had mandatory military conscription after high school that would put him two years behind. Their lives together had been planned beautifully, and he had already gained entrance to the college when the letter came.

He could still remember the azure blue sky as he opened the mailbox that one fateful day. It was spring, and the buds of flowers were just beginning to show. He had one hand around her waist, pecking her lightly on the nose as he pulled out the envelope. It was an inconspicuous, white letter that had nothing more than his name and address on it. There was no stamp, which hinted at it being personally hand delivered. He was slightly surprised, but made no sign as he joked to her that it might be a secret love letter from an anonymous admirer. She had just punched him, giggling in the way he loved.

They had gone into his house and left the letter on the dining table, all but forgotten as they kissed each other and tried to cop feels of each other's body, swatting hands away when it got ticklish. It was only as she was leaving his house that she caught sight of it and asked him to open it out of pure curiosity.

_Dear Lavi Bookman Jr., You have been summoned under the Oath of Sector XI, to aid the Black Order in the fight for humanity. As you may or may not know, the blood of Sector XI runs in you, and thus binds you to helm the Mobile Suit as a pilot. Please report to 45__th__ Korreil Street at 9.30 p.m. on the 10__th__ of April. We will discuss more matters there. _

The letter was unsigned, and for all he knew might have been a hoax _if_ he had not known better. As it was, the way he clutched at the paper was not missed by her.

"It's real, isn't it?" she asked, voice gentle and filled with sorrow. "You're one of the Sectors."

He nodded, unable to look at her. Gramps had told him about his ancestry when he was younger, telling him that he was one of the _Chosen_, one of the saviours. Gramps had warned him, perceptive old man that he was, that war would come upon the world and he – he, simple old Lavi – would be caught up in it because of his bloodline.

"Go," was all she said. "It is your duty."

He hated how she was encouraging him, how she knew what all this meant but accepted it all, taking it all in her stride. It was what made him love her, that indomitable spirit that never wavered. She was strong, he knew. She would survive even when he left. She had braced herself for it as his conscription date neared, and now – it was just like an extended sentence, a prolonged distance. She might wait for him, or she might not. He hoped she did, but would not blame her either way.

As it turned out, she had not. She had left him, one year into his training, and he had seen her photographs on occasion. A white haired boy, with grey eyes and a brilliant smile. His name was Allen Walker. At least she was happy, he reasoned to himself as he learnt to control the finer movements of the Mobile Suit. At least she was happy.

He closed his eye, letting his mind plunge into the empty nothingness of sleep. Reminiscence always wore him out, as he browsed through his memories one did a well-worn book.

* * *

_A shrill cry cut through the darkness, the sound of chains rattling heavily as the person – a girl – tried to move. A single light, flickering: a candle, being brought towards the chains and prisoner. Footsteps that echoed in an empty chamber. A snarling laugh, full of contempt and evil. "She is all we need to create a new race that can overwhelm the Sector."_

_A scream, awfully familiar._

* * *

Lavi woke up to the sound of the alarm beeping frantically. A fast wash up found him sitting back in his room at 0500hrs, with half an hour to spare. Reaching into his drawer, he took out a silver cylinder and pressed the switch at its end. A virtual projection lit up; it was the latest version of the Cyndal, a handheld tablet or laptop depending on what it was needed for. He liked it because it was convenient and portable, and was most importantly able to receive transmission from Earth even when he was in outer space. Xak-3, where _Europa _was currently based, was a few hundred thousand kilometers from Earth and anyone without the Cyndal would be unable to contact relatives or friends back home.

He scrolled through the data that was appearing on the projection's screen – updates and photographs from distant kin, a couple of emails from friends. Nothing caught his attention other than a short message from _her_, a few days ago.

「Hey, Lavi. 」it read. 「Are you doing well? I got into contact with Nella today, and we're going on a trip to Xander and Kaden's house at 4 later. Would you like to join us? 」

He frowned. Something sounded off. She would not just message him like that, and – who was this Nella she spoke of? In all the years he had known her, there was no Nella. Though… he squinted, inverting the name. _**Allen**_, he realized. There was no Xander or Kaden in their lives either, especially considering how he had completely cut off communication with the outside world after he entered the Black Order. Xa… Xak… _Xak_. Allen? Xak? 4pm? Xak-4?

Lavi was intelligent and perceptive. This much he knew she was aware. One of their games when they were together was to leave coded messages to each other, most of the time sappy and romantic. Was this a message she had sent to him to test him? He was sure he had passed, but why would she be going with Allen to Xak-4? Xak-4 was numerically one Xak-point away from Xak-3, but it was on the other side of space. Xak-3 was closer to Venus and Mercury, while Xak-4 was near Saturn and Uranus. It was the base of operations for … Lavi's heart stopped. The Black Order had suspected for a long time that Xak-4 was the base colony of the NOAH, but had no opportunity to investigate without breaking Space Protocol.

But Allen? Allen as a member of NOAH? The thought had never occurred to him in the few times he had met the other boy. Other than the white hair and impressive appetite he had, Allen was a normal boy. Why would he be related to the NOAH? And even more importantly, why would he bring _her_ to Xak-4? It wasn't like she was a Crest. Crests made up the vast majority of the NOAH, with a few non-combat staff being normal human beings who had impressive skills in technical areas. It was in the sheer number of Crests that NOAH wielded which made them a force to be reckoned with. Though the Sectors were superior in skill and power, their forces were few and far between due to their dwindling bloodline. Even on _Europa_, there were only four other Sector pilots and three Crest pilots. From what he knew of the Black Order, there were five or six other motherships and if the _Europa_'s numbers could be taken as an average they would have only around fifty pilots in total.

Worry floated to the front of his mind as he switched off the Cyndal and got ready to fall in. The unpleasant recollection of the dark dream he had had the night before did nothing to assuage his fear, and his footsteps were heavy as he made his way down the fluorescent-lit corridors of _Europa_ to the Captain's room.

* * *

Captain Cross Marian was sitting on his chair when Lavi entered.

"Sir, Pilot 12012209L reporting in."

"Ah, Lavi," – the Captain did not care much for protocol and addressed all his pilots by name, though they still tended to use their pilot numbers for identification and declaration purposes – "Right on time, as usual. The same, however, cannot be said of-"

The door to the room slid open and a dark-haired figure slammed his way in. "Pilot 1101140401K reporting in," he snarled, the numbers rolling smoothly off his tongue as he tried to catch his breath.

The Captain was more than a bit amused. "Good morning, Kanda."

"Nothing about this is good," Kanda Yuu snapped. "Now out with it, I've got things to do."

Kanda was famed for having one of the worst tempers on board _Europa_, and had a reputation for being extremely unpleasant to work with especially on mornings. Lavi was well aware of this and had a feeling that the Captain had intentionally asked both of them to report in at such an hour just for the kick of it. After all, Cross Marian was known to be a sadistic bastard who had interrogated two prisoners of war to the brink of insanity. Cross Marian was a brilliant man, but a pretty damn screwed up one in Lavi's opinion.

"The two of you are going on a scouting mission. I know it's unusual that I send two pilots out instead of a cruiser and pilot, but the higher ups have detected strange activity near Xak-1. The NOAH are suspected, of course, and they need investigation. I've found odd heat readings near Xak-1 and they resemble those of our Mobile Suits. There is a high chance of combat. Retrieve anything that seems useful and try not to kill each other. Your mission starts at 0730hrs, Lavi will be leading. _Mugen_ is to dock on _Hammer_. Make sure you cloak _Mugen_, Kanda, the element of surprise will be necessary for your ambush."

Kanda grunted in acknowledgement and left the cabin without a single word. Lavi made to follow suit, hesitating a fraction in indecision over whether to tell the Captain about his dream and the message he had received. Deciding that Cross would shoot his hopes down immediately and tell him he was wonky, he thought better of it and turned around with a formal nod to his Captain. Just as he reached for the exit button, Cross spoke.

"Lavi."

"Yes, sir?" Lavi replied in trepidation.

"Take this," the Captain said, shoving a binded sheaf of papers into his hands. "There's some information you'd find… interesting. Might want to check it out" – grinning like a Cheshire cat – "after the mission."

Lavi looked down at the papers that were now held in his gloved hands. It had an official feel to it, and had the word CONFIDENTIAL stamped across it in bright red. Obviously this was a document that held information the average pilot would not know. The Captain had turned away, effectively dismissing him. Lavi shook his head and left the room. Whatever his Captain had given him, there was definitely a purpose to it.

* * *

He headed for the comfort of his own room to get a bit of privacy before he had to go for breakfast and report for the mission with The Grumpiest Person Who Ever Lived. The next few days were not going to be enjoyable, even though he was on relatively better terms with Kanda than the average human being.

Slouching into his chair, he began to skim through the papers. It was a report on Suspected Criminal Activity in Space. The pages were a mess of words and diagrams, with some handwritten notes scribbled in the margin – likely those of the Captain's. He was beginning to find the report dull and boring ("Civilian – Xak-2 Colonies Pillaging Space Bananas" did not seem to be something of particular interest to the Black Order, they had the United Police for that), and suspecting the Captain had given the file to him for no particular reason, when he came to a page with a neon pink highlight boxing the title: NOAH – Xak-4 Colony as Operational Base for Human Experimentation.

Now, the direct naming of the NOAH as criminals was a rare sight even in the Black Order. The higher ups believed in the possibility that the NOAH might still be redeemable, so to see them writing the NOAH as having carried out suspicious activities was new.

One green eye read the report, the gears in his brain turning quickly as he absorbed the information. "The NOAH are suspected of carrying out Human Experiments on normal humans, possibly in hopes of creating a sub-race of humans which will be superior to even Sector IX. Though it is unclear how they plan to achieve such an aim, there have been occurrences of regular humans who have vanished from Earth after extensive interaction with members who are now known to be part of the NOAH. Informants of the Order have narrowed down the NOAH's experiments to a certain kind of breeding humans with a dormant gene that has not been activated. The source of this gene, however, is unknown. More investigation will be required by the Order as Xak-4 is a colony under the neutral organization of Conic."

Images and screams from his dream flooded Lavi's mind, and the message he had received began to play over and over in his mind. As his finger trailed down the paragraph of text, he paused at the sight of a hastily scrawled sentence. _Lenalee Lee – suspected to possess the Heart gene that can activate superior attributes in humans. Under surveillance from Black Order until she turned 21, has recently vanished off the face of the earth. Suspected to have been taken in by the NOAH as informants provided descriptions of a hostage with characteristics that match hers. – X. M._

His breath caught. _Lenalee_. Swearing lowly, he felt panic bubbling up in his chest. His suspicions were true. There was something they wanted from Lenalee, something that had been worth waiting for over 21 years by the NOAH. And – the word the report had used, "breeding", did not sit well with Lavi at all.

Lavi knew that Cross did everything with a motive in mind, and there was no doubt that he had given this to Lavi knowing what he was going to do. Lavi's mind whirred with digits and symbols, meticulously mapping out how he was going to rescue Lenalee. Of course, "Mission before self," one of the core values they had learnt as trainees, still held true. Once he had the damn mission out of the way, he was free to do as he pleased.

* * *

The pilots met at the Deck. _Europa_ was fitted with a large docking port where the Innocence were harboured for repairs and upgrades. Lavi's Innocence, the _Hammer_, was a sleek fighter model in shades of orange and black. It had two arms with fists that were able to change Modes to suit various combat situations at his command. _Mugen_ on the other hand was a slightly bulkier model that specialized in melee combat. It had enhanced gernum knuckles and a glowing laser sword that could split into a pair of chakram blades. The cool metallic body, cobalt and grey, was as lethal as it was graceful to look at.

Lavi jumped into the cockpit, fitting his headgear on and feeling the comforting crackle of static in his ears. After the preliminary I.D. scan by their in-built system, the screens lit up around him, bright with information: Energy levels, heat readings, Cross and Chief Commander Reever's individual windows for communication, as well as Kanda's pilot window.

"Pilot 12012209L, ready for launch!" he announced.

"Lavi, exit by Gate 1 and prepare to dock upon exit," Reever said, hitting a few controls as he spoke. The gates opened with a metallic whirr, revealing the dark expanse of space outside. Lavi saluted and pressed down on the accelerator, shouting, "Hammer, launch!"

The familiar feeling of exhilaration flooded his body as Hammer, propelled on tracks, sped towards the darkness outside. Behind him, he could hear Kanda as Mugen followed suit, surging into the emptiness beside his Innocence. Hitting a few buttons, Lavi activated _Docking Mode_.

"Mugen, commence docking!" Kanda called as the gates to _Europa _shut slowly. Mugen compacted itself, a silent mass camouflaged on the back of Hammer, which was extending its thrusters and propulsion wings simultaneously.

"18, docked!" Lavi reported. _18 _was the combination of Mugen and Hammer, which specialized in both ranged and close-combat fights. Hammer was the only Innocence which Mugen could (or would) dock with; there was a running gag on the Europa that Mugen was as difficult to manage as its master was. They were a dangerous pair when docked together, as both pilots worked in flawless co-ordination.

"Lavi, Kanda, Code Green. You can now proceed on to Xak-1," the orders were clear – they were on their own now.

"Roger that!" both pilots saluted as Lavi sent the docked suits flying off. Time and speed were always of the essence in such patrols, because they had to take their enemies by surprise. "Nadir, activate the particle disrupters, active field camouflage and photon thrusters!"

The black-and-white golem, Lavi's battle companion, batted around the cockpit, chirping, "Particle disrupters and active field camouflage, activated! Photon thrusters, activated!"

"Thanks, Nadir!" Lavi grinned even as they sped towards Jupiter. The golems were always a good help when there were many processes to be settled at top speed, such as locking onto enemy targets and activating shields.

"Welcome, welcome!" Nadir beeped as it settled itself on his helmet.

* * *

They reached Jupiter and located Xak-1 quickly enough, as the particle disrupters were able to distort radar sensors of enemy ships to conceal their movement, with the optical camouflage that they had further reducing their chances of discovery.

Entering Xak-1's atmosphere, Lavi did a quick aerial scan. Xak-1 was a giant meteorite, known to enter the orbit of the Galilean moon Ganymede every 500 years or so. There were large craters all over the rock, interspersed with the haphazard mess of white and blue buildings that was the main colony. There were people floating around in spacesuits, white specks far away from Lavi and Kanda's vantage point.

"Tch," Kanda muttered.

"What is it, Yuu?"

"It's too damn peaceful," Kanda was frowning, his brows furrowed in frustrated concentration. "They would have noticed us already, considering we're inside their airspace now."

He was right. The particle disrupters only distorted radar waves for a small radius around the suit, and anyone observing a wide-space reading of the radar waves should have picked up the distortion by now.

"Be on your guard, Yuu," Lavi said. "Nadir and Oryx, silently activate 18's weapons please."

Nadir and Oryx, Kanda's golem, beeped in acknowledgement. "Activating! Activating!"

Even as the golems were mobilizing the weapons, Lavi was navigating the suit towards ground. Reever's face appeared on the display. "18, land on the craters south of the colony."

"Roger," Lavi replied as he pulled them towards the area that Reever had directed them towards. There were many more craters at the south, blanketed in shadow. They would be good for hiding unseen guests – and also waiting ambushers. Activating suit screening, which minimized radio signals and suppressed heat signals from the suit, Lavi precariously landed. There was the barest hint of dust disturbance as he touched down, but nothing else as all other forms of camouflage and distortion were still in place.

Kanda's voice came crackling over the system – the screens had been shut off when he activated screening. "Three on the left, five on the right. They don't know where to attack, so they haven't started attacking yet."

Adrenaline coursed through his body in a giddy rush as he keyed in the data, at the same time thanking god for Kanda's warrior instincts. They had saved him from many a pickle several times as it was. His brain was working in overdrive: right was his blind spot, he had issues with depth perception after getting shot in battle two years ago. Mugen could take out those on the right side easily, but they had been tasked to prevent the NOAH from realizing they had two ships instead of one. Best not to separate this early if they could help it. As his eye scanned the controls and boards laid out before him, he noticed the navigation screen. It was the only screen besides the windscreen that was lighted up during suit screening and had the ability to track heat signatures that were not fully suppressed.

Lavi's eye widened; there was a large red dot flashing as it headed towards 18. A large red dot meant the heat signature was a dangerous hostile, which was likely attempting a sneak attack but had failed due to its suppressors not fully working – or intentionally not cloaking its signature in order to achieve a desired outcome from the two hidden suits.

_Movement_. The NOAH were too crafty to be so careless, so the answer was obvious.

"Yuu! We're charging twelve o'clock. Take out the flanks, don't leave them time to react. Then we hit Captain Obvious down there and I'm going to launch off. This area isn't safe for landing, there should be a neutral port nearby. At least they can't attack us there."

Kanda made a non-committal sound of agreement.

"Nadir and Oryx, lock the gunslashes."

18 was a tall Innocence when docked. Two mechanical arms gripped the gunslashes as Kanda and Lavi both got into position. The gunslash was an energy sword which doubled as a gun; it was a simple and relatively weaker weapon, not the one that they usually used, but its versatile nature made it the best choice for quick fights like this.

"Three thousand, two thousand, one thousand!"

They charged, a blur of metallic orange and cobalt. There was a sudden flurry of action as the previously hiding NOAH suits were quickly cut down without the chance to retaliate. Kanda was a merciless fighter, taking control of the gunslashes and landing critical cuts without even backing off. Lavi kept his eye trained on the navigation panel; the heat signatures from the downed suits were slowly blinking off but the one that had been charging towards them was not letting up. There was still a distance before they could engage in proper close-range combat, so Lavi decided to end it before it started.

"Yuu, pass control!"

Almost instantaneously, he was in charge of the weapons. "Photon shots, activate!"

The gunslashes began charging, two beams of light that stood out starkly against the darkness. "Locking on target, locking on target!" Nadir chirped.

The crosshair appeared just as a black and golden mobile suit appeared within the line of firing. Lavi pulled the triggers, launching two identical photon bullets. There was a cloud of dust and a small explosion as the shots hit home, and 18 had launched off into the air again.

"What the hell, man," Lavi swore as he re-activated the cloaking systems. "Reever, can you send me the coordinates of the neutral port?"

"Coming through." There was a series of beeps as a message popped up on the screen: _PORTS OF XAK-1 / R.W_

"Yuu, activate Mugen's camouflage! We have to keep up the illusion that there's only one suit here when we land."

"Didn't need you to tell me that, and stop calling me by my name!"

* * *

The neutral port was brightly lit. Kanda had ejected himself from his cockpit before they docked, and was set to meet Lavi outside the port. It was in the middle of the colony, so they were dressed in civilian clothes to evade suspicion. As he gazed out at the landscape of Xak-1, he heard footsteps moving towards him. It was his co-pilot, who held in his hand a Cyndal, on which he had imported a map of Xak-1 and blueprints of the colony earlier. Reever was, besides being the Europa's Chief Commander, a master hacker so it was no surprise he had been able to get his hands on such confidential information.

"Let's get ourselves the privacy of a room first," Lavi whispered the moment he was close enough to Kanda. The other did not reply but turned away to walk towards the North Spire which lay just ahead.

The North Spire was a massive group of skyscrapers in white and blue, with the main building having an antenna mast that glinted silver in the cold sunlight. The automated doors, of the same colour scheme, slid open without a sound as they approached. There was a neon signboard on their right, which pointed in different directions to different places. Kanda noted the "_Hotel_" and headed towards it, Lavi following close behind.

They were able to get a room quickly enough; the sign of the Black Order, a white Rose Cross, was recognized in all neutral colonies and granted them ease of access to many places. As they walked into the hotel, footsteps tapping on marbled floor, they were still on high alert – there were security cameras at the front of the corridor, at the end and three doors down from their room. The cameras had blind spots within the radii of 32.398mm around and below them, and between the overlapping camera views, there was a small blind gap. Kanda opened the door to their room and Lavi closed it. The room had two single beds, a wide-screen television, a bedside table and an attached bathroom along with a small pantry. There was a small plant pot by the window, and two paintings hanging on the wall. One was a portrait of a lady dressed in silver and red, the other a landscape of what Lavi recognized as San Francisco's skyline.

Before he did anything else, Kanda went up to the lady's portrait and peered at the eyes. They were glinting, a failed deception. He pulled out a small handgun and put two bullets through the pinhole cameras. At the same time, Lavi was picking out the activated charcoal balls that lined the top of the pot, until he found what he was looking for – a black-coloured sphere. He tossed it to Kanda, who repeated what he had done to the cameras. After further inspection of the room, including poking and prodding at the landscape painting and taking apart the pen on the table to make sure it was not another secret voice recorder, both of them were satisfied that they were going to get the privacy they required. It was always the same cycle, debugging their rooms before they could get down to mission proper. Such was the age of suspicion and fear they lived in.

Switching on the Cyndal, Lavi opened the files that he had imported. Overlaying the map and the blueprint, he pointed to Kanda three specific spots – a place labelled _LA-1_, an empty expanse of ground between five buildings and an underground room labelled _WA-9_.

"Suspicious activities have been detected around these three areas." Lavi said, setting the Cyndal on the bed. His finger hovered over the first spot. "LA-1 is a laboratory. We are to meet Trout tomorrow, he is one of our informants. Apparently he has observed several high-ranking NOAH members entering and exiting the lab recently, which is unusual.

"Next is Point X," pointing to the expanse of empty ground, "there have been reports of screaming and scuffling around this place at night. The colony has a curfew, where all citizens must be indoors by 0100 hrs every day. The reports are that there are loud shrieks from this area, at around 0300 to 0530 hrs on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. However, residents of these five buildings have not reported any issue thus far.

"Lastly, WA-9 is an underground warehouse. It supposedly stores several test subjects of the NOAH, but nobody has ever verified that claim. It might be an urban myth, but it might hold water. Captain and Chief both want us to look into it, just in case."

Kanda looked at the three points, then grunted in irritation. It was going to be a longer mission than expected. "Patrol my fucking ass," he growled.

For once, Lavi agreed.

* * *

Once again, another cross-conceptual story. Highly inspired by the Gundam universe, most notably Gundam 00, but with story elements of -man. I have also taken bits of inspiration from Phantasy Star Online 2 and Dragon Nest.

For research and references:  
-man Wikia, Gundam Wikia, Wikipedia.

Also, just for clarification: The Xak points stated in this story are fictional versions of the Lagrangian points that truly exist in the solar system. For writing intentions, I have assumed that Xak-1 takes the form of a meteorite. Other Xak-points, as introduced in the story, will take various forms.


	2. Deeper Truths

**Act 1 | Scene 2**

Is there a hero somewhere, someone who appears and saves the day  
Someone who holds out a hand and turns back time  
Is there a hero somewhere, someone who will never walk away  
Who doesn't turn a blind eye to a crime

(Locking Up The Sun / Poets of the Fall)

**20 July, Unknown time, Unknown Laboratory, Xak-4.**

Hooded figures clad in black laboratory coats made their way around the white room. There was no sound save the occasional beep from one machine or another. Lenalee Lee lay spread-eagled on the table, her four limbs firmly attached to the smooth top to prevent her movement. Wires and cables made an elaborate web around her, connected to various parts of her body from top to toe. Her eyes were wide open, taking in her surroundings. She had no idea where she was, except that she was currently being taken hostage by the NOAH. Allen had told her once, when he had thought she was sleeping, that the NOAH were based in Xak-4 so that was her best guess. She hoped that Lavi had managed to decipher the message she had sent him, and she hoped against hope that he would actually care enough to come for her.

The rustling of the black coats stopped as a door slid open. A petite girl stood in the doorway, dressed in the same black coat altered to become more of a jacket. Her hair was spiked in all directions, and she had a lollipop in one hand. "Hello, darling princess!" she cooed.

Lenalee's stomach made a disgusted flip. This girl was Road Kamelot, and every time she appeared (this being the third) it spelled bad news for Lenalee.

"Why, does my darling not want to play today?" Road hummed, her voice dripping with sickly sweetness. "Akuma-chan, you may leave."

The hooded figures bowed low, then made their way out of the room. The door slid shut with a loud click. Lenalee braced herself; it was going to begin, the same way it always did.

Road pressed a few buttons on the machine at the foot of the table Lenalee lay on, and Lenalee let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream. The images were unrelenting, always new, always different, but all of them were equally terrifying to look at. Nii-san, his black hair matted with blood and body punctured with holes. Lavi, bloodied face spread in a wide grin, reaching out for her with hands stained red. Allen, dragging a body behind him as he walked away from her, his other hand holding a gun smoking at the tip.

As her victim trashed through the illusions, Road chuckled to herself. It was fun, trying to break this girl. She pressed a few more buttons, and the convolutions stopped. Lenalee drew a deep shuddering breath, her eyes still flared in panic.

"So, where is he?" Road asked silkily, dragging a finger under Lenalee's chin. She shivered, trying to force the shorter girl away from her but failing.

"I don't know," Lenalee bit out in a hiss. Her voice was shaky, still trying to recover from the shock of the hypnosis. "Why do you even fucking care?"

Road paused for a moment, then her face split into a wide smile. "Oooh, so the princess can bite! This is gonna be fun for us~" She turned away and waved her right hand casually. Three Akuma entered the room, faceless creatures as they were. Grabbing her, they broke her restraints and carried her away from the table, unceremoniously dumping her on the floor of a neighbouring room.

"Have fun~ Princess~" Road snickered as she shut the door behind her. There was the sound of locks clicking into place, then hollow footsteps tapping on white marble. Then silence.

Lenalee huddled in a corner, willing herself not to cry.

Where are you? Will you come?

**20 July, Unknown time, Unknown Room, Xak-1.**

Two cloaked figures sat in the far shadows of the room, shrouded in darkness.

There was a heavy clang as a door swung open, and a lone figure walked in. A gun was drawn in the darkness. The figure was stout and small-sized; the light from the small oil lamp he carried reflected off his big glasses.

"Licence to connect," he said to the darkness.

The lights of the room came on, controlled by Kanda's remote; Lavi holstered the gun. The young man smiled wide. "I am Trout, as you already know. And you might be L and K?"

"Yes," Lavi answered as he threw back his hood. Kanda made no move to do the same. "Nice to meet you, Trout!"

"You too," Trout beamed. Drawing a stack of loose papers from inside his jacket, he set it down on the table in front of Lavi and Kanda. "This is the report that I submitted to Chief R two days ago. I work down in the Labs, managing LA-6 to LA-10. I trust that you know the layout of the area already."

"LA-1 to LA-10 are connected by the same corridor, C-05, just at different ends. LA-1 is at the extreme left while LA-10 is at the extreme right when entering via doorway D-003," Lavi murmured, eye raking over the papers. "Doorway D-003 is a back entrance to the Labs, as LA-1 to LA-5 are connected by corridor C-01, doorway D-010 and LA-6 to LA-10 are connected by corridor C-02, doorway D-023."

Impressed, Trout nodded and continued. "I am stationed in corridor C-05, the back entrance and exit for all the labs. It is a rare sight for me to see more than 5 people in the corridor on any one day. Normally, only research scientists like me use C-05 as it is inaccessible and inconvenient.

"Five days ago, I was doing my work when there was a commotion right outside D-003. A group of people, clad in gray and gold, entered C-05. They wore emblems on their uniforms, a badge with a pattern of seven stars."

"The NOAH."

Trout nodded. "They had gained access to the back doors of the labs, and I could see no reason to forbid them from going in. They had access cards and were being led by one of our own lab technicians, so I assumed they were just coming in to see our lab facilities.

"The next day, they came in again without the lab technician. They entered LA-1, stayed for a couple of hours and came out. They exited the lab with extremely satisfied looks on their faces, and I overheard one of them saying something along the lines of 'The preparations are coming along well, Earl.'

"The man she was talking to didn't say anything but grinned and walked out of the door.

"After wards, when it was closing time, I asked the Section Leader in charge of LA-1 to LA-5 what the NOAH members were doing inside the lab. He said something about an experiment to activate a gene, but the exact details were unknown to him as well. It sounded fishy enough to warrant a report to Chief R. I have seen them almost daily since the first time they came in, but they always come in at different hours."

Lavi paused. Gene activation. It had been mentioned in the report that the Captain had given him before they were dispatched. It seemed like there was something going on down here after all. Tapping his chin in consideration, he mapped out a scheme of action in his head. "Could you possibly help us procure access to the labs in the next few days? We aim to leave this place as soon as possible."

Trout nodded. "Definitely."

Lavi looked at his fellow cloaked partner, who had not spoken a word throughout and did not seem inclined to do so in the near future. "Alright, that should be all for now, Trout. Thank you so much for the help. We will contact you again if we need help."

Trout's eyes crinkled as he bowed slightly. "Glad to be of help."

As he turned away back to the door that he had come from, the lights went out again.

**20 July,** **1630hrs,** **Room 381, Xak-1**

"Say, Yuu, any idea what we should do?" Lavi drawled.

"No. You're the fucking strategist here, moron."

Lavi groaned as he sprawled on his back. "I don't know what we can do because we don't know what we're up against!"

"Shouldn't we check out the other two places Chief shortlisted before we even plan our next move?"

"But… Lenalee." The last word came out soft, almost a whisper.

Kanda's head turned around so fast his long ponytail slapped Lavi in the face. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just… thinking."

Kanda frowned. He could have sworn that he had heard Lavi mention a name that he had not heard in almost a decade.

"Anyway, since today is a Monday, Chief has ordered that we investigate Point X tonight. Curfew here starts at 0100hrs, so we must be out by 0000hrs and be able to avoid any detection by patrols until 0300hrs at Point X."

"Easier said than done," Kanda grumbled, lying down. The digital clock on the wall read 1635hrs.

"I'm going to rest before –" Lavi stopped when he heard light snoring coming from his comrade's bed.

**21 July, 0255hrs, Point X, Xak-1**

Kanda was irritated and grumpy, having been forcibly dragged out from their hotel room three hours prior by the annoying redhead he had as a partner. They were currently lying flat on their stomachs inside a deep crater, a safe distance away from the empty space between the buildings, but much closer than the buildings were. He had all his warrior-honed senses on high alert, and was soon able to detect the sound of footsteps. Placing his ear to the ground, he could hear three sets of footsteps – one light, one heavy, one stumbling and tripping. The only logical conclusion he could come to was that there were two captors and one captive, likely a test subject of some form or another.

Raising three fingers to Lavi, who had been waiting for his signal, they raised tentative eyes over the edge of the crater. The empty space where Point X was now held three figures, one of them with hands and mouth bound. From what Kanda's hawk eyes could see, the captive was a female, with limp ragged hair that fell around her face. She appeared to be a typical civilian, with no visible physical modifications. One of the captors – a man, with dark wavy hair – stepped towards her, His accomplice, a tall blonde lady with hair tied up in a ponytail, moved behind the captive, deftly removing the gag around her mouth.

There was silence as the man handed the woman a small capsule, likely a pill of some sort. She slipped it between the captive's lips and tilted her head back to force her to swallow. The captive was strangely pliant and obedient, which led Lavi to believe that she was doing so of her own free will. But for what? The captive fell limp. The two captors stood above her body.

The lady stroked the captive's face with an almost curious gentleness, while pulling out from her coat a glowing jar. The jar was not glowing per se; rather it was the substance within the jar that glowed a strangely terrifying purple colour. She opened the jar and tipped the contents down the captive's throat. There was a gurgling sound, followed by a grotesque silence. What happened next was something Kanda and Lavi never wished to witness ever again. A shriek that tore through the silence as a knife slices through paper rang in the silent night as the face of the girl slowly contorted itself, delving more and more into shadowed features. Her skin became blackened, and the man let out a sigh.

"Lulubell, it's still not working. There's something wrong with that gene still. We've been creating Akuma for the past month, not a single success at all."

The woman - Lulubell - grimaced. "I've told the Earl, but he says he needs more time to perfect the activation. Apparently something's gone wrong back on home ground and they can't do it as quickly as they should have." From her duffel bag, she pulled out a black laboratory coat and handed it to the… Akuma. Wild, deadened eyes stared straight at Kanda's hiding spot for a moment, empty black boring into flaming black. Then the Akuma turned away, draping the coat on, back slightly bowed.

Lavi's eye scanned the area. There was no reason why the five buildings surrounding this place would not have heard the screams or seen the entire thing – unless. His gaze landed on an almost-invisible electronic barrier. Of course. They had used a barrier that created a visual illusion and soundproofed the immediate vicinity. As Kanda and he were lying within the barrier's range, they were able to witness everything but those in the buildings could not. Those beyond the immediate vicinity would not experience the same soundproofing effect and therefore had reported the screams as well. However, their reports would have been unsubstantiated as those closest to the area were unaffected. It all made sense now that Lavi thought about it.

"Let's go. Hopefully by the next time things will be better." The man said, turning away from the other two and walking off with quick strides. The other two were silent as they followed suit.

Kanda and Lavi lay on the edge of the crater for a while more, until they saw the electronic barrier dissolve. Letting out a long breath, Kanda let himself relax. The curfew lasted until 0600hrs. The small digital clock on the inside of his jacket read 0545hrs. The experiment – torture – whatever the fuck you could call it – had lasted near two hours. The two pilots were silent, lost in their thoughts and shock over what they had witnessed. The mothership would have to be informed as quickly as possible.

**21 July, 1345hrs, WA-9, Xak-1**

The pilots had managed to sneak into the warehouse through the use of Komui's newest invention, a concealment device that temporarily distorted camera signals and granted them the ability to move around undetected for periods of time. Right now, they were running on two hours of concealment and the clock was ticking.

The warehouse initially had seemed empty, but was in fact much wider than they expected. "Falsifying depth perception," Kanda had muttered as he walked towards the end of the warehouse, only to find it was not actually the end.

Lavi soon found himself in a maze of cylinders, big enough to contain a human being. They were scattered in the shadows of the warehouse, which was soundless and dark. Deciding to take a chance, Lavi placed his eye in front of one of the cylinders.

He found himself face-to-face with a sleeping human, malnourished and pale. On the human's collarbone he could see seven crosses, bloody tattoos on white skin. There was some form of liquid – probably a life-sustaining liquid – surrounding the human, and the body was connected to tubes and catheters. Lavi took a deep breath to steel himself. The rumours had been true. The NOAH was carrying out experiments and they were not for the betterment of humanity.

He activated the IntelSensor, a lens that could analyze substances and objects without direct contact. Another creation of Komui's, it had aided in many missions prior and would do the same now. He ran the sensor over the surface of the cylinder, waiting a few seconds before the reading was complete and the virtual dialogue appeared.

[Species: Human, Race: Crest, Status: undefined, Temperature: -196.0 °C] [Substance: Liquid Nitrogen, Concentration: 50.0 mol dm-3, Pressure: 22 psig]

"Cyrogenics," Lavi muttered. "They're keeping these Crests alive for something. Probably their test subjects for that gene activation experiment. Except that they keep going wrong."

"…fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two." Kanda said, walking between the rows of cylinders. "They have fifty-two more to go through. Assuming they've carried out experiments like the one we saw today for three times a week for the past month, adding on to the one we witnessed, that makes a total of sixty-five test subjects."

"Monsters," Lavi hissed. "Nothing more than a bunch of monsters. Kidnapping so many – so many innocents – and then – Lenalee –"

"Who is she? This Lenalee you speak of." Kanda cut in abruptly. "You've mentioned her more than once now."

Lavi looked up, frantic and furious at himself for the slip of his tongue. "I'll tell you more when we get back."

Kanda scowled, but let the matter drop.

They did another visual inspection of the place, taking a few photographs with the IntelSensor, and made to leave. Slightly less than an hour left on the clock. The corridor was quiet as they hastened back.

**21 July, 1603hrs, Room 381, Xak-1**

Sitting down in the armchair, Lavi switched on his Cyndal. He had just begun to consolidate the report for Europa regarding both Point X and WA-9 when a coded message came in through his inbox. It was a message from Europa: "To evacuate immediately. Retrieve Trout and Informant Peck at 1710hrs, (230.19, 948.27)."

Lavi blinked. Something must have gone really wrong along the way if the Captain was ordering their evacuation with such short notice. "Yuu, they've ordered our evacuation. Right now."

Kanda, who had been hunched over his case of belongings, grunted in acknowledgment. "Stop calling me that, moron," he said as he stood up. As he did so, his hand swiped to the floor the pen they had taken apart the day before. It chipped slightly, and a red laser light shone from its tip. An audio recorder. Kanda and Lavi paled, before the former swore under his breath and stamped on the pen. "Goddamn fucking thing. We leave now," he ordered, grabbing his case and swinging it over his back. Lavi followed.

They raced down the corridor, keeping their eyes open for any signs of enemies. Check-out was faster than usual, but still all too long when time was against them. "Make for the port," Kanda said as they ran through the lobby of the North Spire.

The moment they had made it out of the North Spire, they sprinted to the port – only to find themselves surrounded by gray-and-gold suited gunmen midway through an abandoned estate. Kanda uttered another beautiful curse word even as he whipped out his handgun and attacked. Lavi did the same, making a break for the port when the gunmen were distracted by Kanda.

As he ran, there was a whistle and then impact. He felt the bullet embed itself in his side, and cursed. Without stopping to look back, he clutched the wound and sprinted the final distance to the port. Leaping into Hammer's cockpit, he ripped out his jacket to staunch the wound, at the same time ordering Nadir to prepare for launch. He glanced at the clock; it was 1645hrs, barely time for them to pick up their informants. He would have to take the off-chance, then. Kanda could not enter the port, brandishing a gun as he was. Neither could the gunmen; Space Protocol banned any weaponry in neutral ports, and the NOAH could be easily put on trial for breaking such a fundamental law.

"18 is ready for launch!" Nadir offered. Lavi put on a grim smile.

"18, launch!" as he tugged on the throttle. "Oryx, deactivate Mugen's camouflage."

"Roger, roger!"

From his dashboard, Lavi could see Mugen's form slowly take shape. The docked suits exited the port with a roar, just where Kanda was engaged in his gunfight. "Oryx, open the hatch?" Lavi asked.

"Roger," Oryx replied. "Opening cockpit hatch in 3, 2, 1!"

Even as Oryx opened the hatch, Kanda jumped up with flawless, practiced precision, shooting away at the NOAH gunmen all the while. In the few seconds between him entering the cockpit and activating Mugen, Lavi returned fire for the dark-haired pilot using Hammer. Faced with a mobile suit as an opponent, the gunmen took cover and Lavi let out a ragged breath.

"Activate all forms of camouflage, Nadir and Oryx."

"Roger!"

As the camouflage took shape, Lavi hurriedly keyed in the pair of co-ordinates the mothership had sent him. It was northwest of the Port, surrounded by gray space dunes and empty craters. They had no sooner touched down that Lavi could make out two figures, one short and one tall, both wearing gray cloaks. One of them, the shorter one, Lavi recognized as Trout. "Open cockpit!" he shouted, simultaneously throwing down rescue lines. Both Mugen and Hammer's cockpit hatches opened, and they hoisted one informant into each cockpit. "Welcome onboard, Trout!"

The cockpits had barely resealed themselves, Trout still finding his footing in the narrow cockpit, when there was rapid dust and energy movement – yet another ambush, this time by multiple mobile suits.

"Usagi," Kanda's voice shouted over the system. "I'm separating."

"Roger," Lavi answered, pressing his makeshift bandage to his waist and trying not to wince. "Nadir, prepare for formation breakage. Hammer, activate Flame-Mode: Scythe!" a silver scythe appeared in Hammer's fists, glinting an ominous red as Lavi raised its arms towards the mobile suits.

Behind him, Kanda had shouted out his own command. "Mugen, First Illusion!" A swarm of holographic insects headed in the direction of the suits, causing them to scatter in all directions. Kanda smoothly headed towards the suits on the right, Lavi turning to the left to counter. They had settled into a pattern after so many fights together, and were so attuned to each other that they could read combat situations in the same way. Striking the closest mobile suit with his flaming scythe, Lavi tore the hooked end through the head of the next suit and immediately used the momentum to throw the following suit off-balance.

"Incoming, incoming!" Nadir warned. Lavi spun around; there was the familiar light of energy charging. Photon bullets! He was off-guard and open at the back, he realized suddenly as he launched into the air, barely missing the ensuing explosion of two pairs of photon bullets hitting each other from opposite sides. He would have been a roasted suit if he had hesitated. Breathing a sigh of relief for Hammer's agility, he dodged again as three suits came after him. He could feel the slight singe at the bottom of the Innocence and groaned. Komui was going to kill him for this. But now, he had to focus on not being killed because one of the suits up in the air with him was in his blind spot – shit, Lavi thought as an explosion racked Hammer's right side. Slightly winded as he shifted out of the way of another explosion, he shouted, "Hammer, activate Shock: Barrier!" The yellow holographic wall came up about Hammer's entire body, made up of powerful but small electro waves that would mess with the other suits' systems if they came too close. He did a quick survey of the damage that had been done – some damage to the head, but nothing too extreme, no major systems disabled - before activating "Shock: Lance!"

The electro waves condensed into a sharp yellow lance, and Lavi aimed it at the suit on his right; it speared the other right through the eye and in the time it took to hit the ground, Lavi was aiming a second lance. Momentarily glancing to Kanda, he noted that Mugen was now wielding its chakram blades instead of just a sword. This was going to be a drawn out battle, and in such a colony they could not use any enhanced gunpower. Lavi sighed as he drew yet another lance. "Yuu, we run in five! Four! Three! Tw-"

His sentence was cut off by a bright explosion from where Kanda was. Lavi's heart stopped for a moment, focus shifting. "YUU!"

Kanda's screen was replaced by static, and all he could hear was Kanda and Peck's agonized groans. Shit had really happened if Kanda had been hit. As the dust from the explosion settled, he blanched. The same black-and-gold suit he had shot three days ago stood above Mugen, rifle raised and poised to attack. Its particles were purple and black, something he had never seen before on a mobile suit. But he knew enough that if that rifle was triggered, Mugen – Kanda – would be goners. His mind blank except for the singular thought of Yuu must not die, Lavi launched the lance towards the suit without a second thought, while sending Hammer flying towards Mugen. The NOAH suit raised its shield, as Hammer grabbed Mugen and reactivated Shock: Barrier, concurrently reverting to Agility Mode, which maximized speed and movement.

He pushed hard on the thrusters, and the two suits were launching off at top speed. The NOAH charged after them, but they were already escaping through the atmosphere of Xak-1. All the NOAH suits seemed to make to chase, but did not, to Lavi's surprise and relief. Even so, he did not stop with the high speed at which they were travelling until they were a good distance away from Xak-1.

"Oryx! Oryx!"

There was a beeping acknowledgement from the golem, though covered by static. "I'm activating docking, please dock now!"

"Nadir, activate all forms of camouflage!"

"Roger, roger!"

Trout, who had been crouched by his pilot chair the whole while, was looking at Lavi with newfound respect. When Lavi felt the weight of the other's gaze, he raised a questioning eyebrow. Trout shrugged. "It's not every day you see someone willing to risk his own life for his comrade's."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't consider myself a comrade," Lavi replied shortly, but allowing a strained smile to grace his lips. "Yuu, Yuu, can you read?"

Oryx's beeping report came over instead, still overlaid with static. "Kanda is out cold! Science Man has injuries to his arms!"

"…Peck, right? Do you read?"

"Yes, but covered with static," the gruff voice said. "Don't worry about my arms, 'tis but a scratch. I've seen much worse. I'm trying to stop the blood loss to Pilot K. He took a hit to the head, I think."

Lavi winced, and then winced again when the action sent a shot of pain up his body. "Roger. Reever, do you read? 18 is returning to Europa, code red for Pilot 1101140401K and Mugen, code amber for Pilot 12012209L and Hammer. Current co-ordinates (1840.24, 4829.53); Requesting for reinforcements."

"Yes, request heard loud and clear. I've sent Officer 14251405N out in her suit. She will cover for you, just return as quickly as you possibly can."

"Roger." Lavi hit the throttle, for the third time in the past half hour, and felt his body fall limp. He tried to fight it, even as his sight plunged into darkness.

**21 July, Unknown time, Prison Cell #08-21, Xak-4**

Lenalee was curled up in the corner of the big white room, arms wrapped around her knees. A plate lay untouched in front of her, white rice with vegetables and some sort of meat. It looked bland and tasteless, and she had not the appetite to eat it. The plate was plain white, but the tray it had come on was labeled #08-21, which she figured was her cell number. They would have plenty of time to take her as hostage if anyone invaded from the ground floor.

She poked at the food, trying to ignore the bruising pain on her inner elbow where the NOAH had repeatedly taken blood samples from. She had no idea why they wanted her blood, or even why she was here. Where was Allen? He was most likely the reason why she had ended up locked up in a cell, that jerk.

She closed her eyes and let herself fall back into the comfort of her own thoughts. Inky black hair, one long and one short. One frowning with arms crossed across his chest, the other smiling as he drank a cup of coffee. They walked towards her – and past her – as they made their way into the depths of space. A few others: a blonde and a brunette, a group of faceless people, walking away from her into different places on Earth. Then a redhead appeared. His eyes were shining, bright as he looked at her, but eventually he turned away and followed the road that led to space.

All gone. She had wrapped herself in the safety of her mind, but even the memories made her chest hurt. Opening her eyes, she blinked rapidly to get rid of teardrops that had found their way into her eyes.

She sat up, straightening her back at the sound of footsteps in the corridor. She had to fight. He would come to save her, and she had to help him save her too.

* * *

**A/N:**

Super belated update - this chapter has been in my computer since August, but I've been too busy with college to update or write new chapters.

I'm of two minds as to whether I should continue writing this. It's my first time writing a space-based story so a lot of terms are unfamiliar to me, and I have to say that writing the three chapters I have done so far has been a Herculean task. (really, watching all those Gundam shows does not really contribute to your understanding of how the mobile suit system works - great thanks to the DGrayman Wikia, Gundam Wikia and Wikipedia for helping me so much.)

Even so, I really enjoy writing this space!AU, but at the same time I recognize that there isn't much of an audience in the DGrayman fandom for space!fiction.

Anyway, I'm already starting on Chapter 4, so this story will be around for a couple more chapters at least.

Please leave comments and let me know what you think!

There is a graphic inserted to visually represent the layout of the laboratories as described by Lavi to Trout. The link is found on my profile, and the image was made with Google SketchUp 8.


	3. Questions with no Answers

**Act 2 | Scene 1 **

_So I'm following the road to where you are  
(Meet you tonight, on top of)  
The streetlights, they will guide me to the stars  
That's where you are_

_(On Top Of The World / Boys Like Girls)_

* * *

**26 July, 1455hrs, Medical Bay, ****_Europa_****, Xak-3**

Lavi sat on the white bed of the medical bay, eyes turned downwards. There was a steady beeping coming from his neighbouring bed, housing one Kanda Yuu. How they had made it back to the ship at all was a mystery to him, as he had supposedly concussed halfway on the journey back. That had been three to four days ago; he had been slipping in and out of unfocused consciousness ever since he woke up the day before and gave the Head Nurse a scare when he reached out for her from behind.

He looked over at Kanda. The other pilot was lying prone on his back, unmoving except for the slight rise and fall of his chest. His skin was pallor, even more than usual. There were bandages wrapped around his forehead and across his body. Lavi had seldom, if ever, seen Kanda injured to the extent that he was placed in the medical bay – the other pilot normally just brushed off his injuries. There had been rumours that Kanda had supernatural healing and regenerative abilities, and they had not seemed unfounded. As Lavi observed him, he noticed a large tattoo right on top of Kanda's heart. It was partially blocked by the bandages that mummified his chest, but it looked to be a strange character from some old language. Lavi filed it away in his head to ask Kanda about it when the latter finally woke up.

Meanwhile, he gingerly tested his feet. Staying cooped up in a room was just not his cup of tea – and now that he thought about it, since he was now done with the Xak-1 mission, he was free to go save Lenalee. That sent a wave of newfound strength surging through him as he took one step – only for his legs to crumple under him and him to let out a yelp that was part surprise, part shock. The Head Nurse rushed in, a deep frown etched on her face that could easily rival Kanda's. "And just what do you think you're doing, young man?" Her hands were on the hips of her starched white uniform, hair tied up into a tight bun. "You're not going anywhere with your body in this state!"

Lavi groaned, whined and wheedled, but the Head Nurse was firm. "No. Until I discharge you, you are staying here. Do I need to restrain you?"

He gave in. He _was_ in a worse state than he'd actually expected himself to be in. He nodded, uncharacteristically mild. The Head Nurse huffed and left the room, telling him she would bring food.

Left to his own devices, his gaze drifted to the digital clock, which showed 1500hrs, then to the helmet that perched on Kanda's bedside table. It was dark blue, the colour of Mugen's armour, and the visor had a large spiderweb crack across its left side. Exactly what kind of injury had Kanda suffered, if even his visor had been wrecked? Lavi shuddered at the thought.

The door slid open, revealing Reever Wenham's tall form.

"Chief Commander," Lavi saluted weakly. Reever waved the gesture off as he sat down next to Lavi's bed.

"The Head Nurse told me you were lucid and awake. I thought it would be necessary to update you with the situation, seeing how you have missed five days on the ship. And as you would expect, the Captain can't be bothered so here I am."

"Five days?!" Lavi echoed. He hadn't realized that between his slipping in and out of consciousness, two days had passed.

Reever nodded and pulled out a file. "The pictures and readings that you took in the warehouse have been analyzed by Komui and his Science Team, and they have agreed that they are indicative of cryogenics. I believe you have not submitted your report due to the rushed evacuation we ordered. I hate to do this especially since you have just woken up, but the Order wishes to have the report as soon as possible. What were your observations and predictions?"

Lavi swallowed and thought back to the warehouse. _Fifty-two Crests, being preserved in cylinders in an abandoned warehouse. _Thinking back even further, _the experiment we saw at Point X. Conversion of a human – possibly a Crest – into a distorted anomaly by consumption of a purple substance. Overheard the two NOAH members who said something about the activation still being perfected. A name – Lulubell._

The Head Nurse arrived at this moment, with a tray of food and a glass of water. He took the glass gratefully, gulping it down. The Chief Commander was scrolling through his own Cyndal, reading the report Lavi had filed after the meeting with Trout. Lavi took a ravenous bite, while placing the pieces of the puzzle together.

First, the recurring issue they had discovered was the experiment to activate a gene. As he chewed the food, he thought of all the times "activation" had been mentioned – the Section Leader of LA-1 had told Trout the NOAH were trying to activate a gene. The NOAH members had spoken of how more time was needed to perfect the activation, though they had not said _of_ what. Then there had been that report, about the Heart gene which could activate superior attributes.

That was it!

"The NOAH are trying to activate the Heart gene," he said slowly. "The Captain gave me a report on the NOAH carrying out experiments on people. It was more or less correct. They are carrying out experiments on Crests, hoping to create the perfect sub-race that can overwhelm the Sectors. We witnessed an experiment at Xak-1 which involved a captive who was turned into what the NOAH called an Akuma after she was forcibly drugged and then made to consume a purple…thing. The NOAH members said it was a failure and that they had been creating Akuma for a month, because the … Earl?" Lavi paused. "I think they called him the Earl. They said he still needs time to perfect the activation."

Reever's lip was upturned into a disgusted snarl. "I can't wait to put bullets through all of them. Captain's going to have a field day out there when the day comes. How do these Akuma look like?"

"Blackened skin, featureless faces. The NOAH – Lulubell – gave the Akuma a black laboratory coat to wear. It seemed that they already expected the Akuma to be formed and had made necessary preparations. If what Kanda and I have assumed is correct, then they have carried out thirteen experiments on Crests at this point which have all failed and yielded Akuma."

Reever nodded. "Your perfect memory is a blessing in times like this, Lavi.

"Trout and Peck, our planted informants in Xak-1, have given testimony on the NOAH's appearances in LA-1. The day after your meeting with Trout, he sought the help of Peck to hide a camera inside LA-1. They recorded the experiments carried out by the NOAH on that day and sent them to the _Europa_."

Reever pressed something on the Cyndal, and a video came up. It showed a jovial, rotund man holding a test tube filled with blood, and then mixing it with an unknown solution. "We suspect the blood comes from a regular Crest, and the unknown is the isolated gene in a carrier substance."

The mixture produced a purple substance, which Lavi recognized – to his horror – from the experiment that had been carried out at Point X.

* * *

**27 July, Unknown time, Prison Cell #08-21, Xak-4**

"Ne~ Princess~" Road Kamelot's sing-song voice came through the other side of the door. The NOAH member had been in an unusually good mood for the past few days, humming to herself and acting like a little child who had discovered a hidden stash of candy.

"Guess what happened~" the girl entered the cell, which was essentially an empty room with bright lights, with a devious grin plastered on her face. Lenalee felt like gagging.

"Tyki-kun said he ran into two~ Innocence pilots~ on Xak-1~ He told me they got ambushed~ And he shot one of them down~ He said one of them~ Had red hair~ As bright as fire on the mountainside~"

Lenalee's heart stopped.

_No_. _It couldn't be. Lavi had to be – had to be fine, he had to be alive! _

The paling of her face must have been evident in the brightness of the room as Road's smirk widened, moving towards her. "What happened, Princess~ Did you eat something bad?~"

"Get the hell away from me!" Lenalee swatted the NOAH girl's hand away from her. "Why're you keeping me in here anyway?!"

Road's smirk never faded. "Aa, you mean they never told you? Geez, they keep leaving me to do the dirty work!"

Lenalee had no idea who _they_ referred to, as she had only ever seen Road and the Akuma in her time as a captive.

"You~ little lady~ have something special~" she sang, almost like a nursery rhyme except it was horrendously off-tune. "You~ little lady~ have lots of power~ And the Earl~ Our Earl~ He needs your help~ Why don't you help him~"

"Where's Allen?" was Lenalee's first reaction, dropping the honorific she used to address him with. After she had landed in this horrible place, she had vowed to murder him with her bare hands. Whatever Road was singing sounded like absolute bull to her, if it could even be considered singing. It sounded more like a cat yowling in the middle of the night.

"Allen-kun~? He's gone and left us behind~ he comes and goes like the night~ I'll tell him his Princess misses him~"

"Stop calling me that," Lenalee spat. "He's the biggest douchebag I've ever known. Tell him I hope I never have to see him again or he will die a miserable death."

"Ah~ Princess is angry~ Road's gonna leave~ Anyway~ The Earl wanted me to tell you~ Thank you~" Road still had that annoying smile on her face even as she stood up and made for (more like pranced towards) the door.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lenalee asked, not understanding anything and getting exasperated, but the door had closed behind Road. Outside she could hear a man saying, "Road, that was quite a chorus you had going on in there," and Road giggled.

Lenalee buried her head in her hands.

* * *

**27 July, 1820hrs, Medical Bay, ****_Europa_****, Xak-3**

"…suffered from third-degree burns on the left side of his body and some head trauma due to the direct impact of the shot and would have died if not for his maneuvering," the Head Nurse's voice slowly formed distinct words as Lavi regained consciousness. He was still incredibly lethargic, to his frustration and irritation. Keeping his eye shut, he continued listening to her analysis of someone's - Kanda's - injuries. "He has been warded for less than a week, but his injuries are already recovering at incredibly fast speeds. I have no idea what to make of it."

"Kanda's just like that. He's fast at recovering," the tone of voice was amused, and Lavi could make it out to be one of the other Officers, Officer Tiedoll, who had been Kanda's instructor. "And your other patient?"

"Lavi had a very bad bullet in his waist. I have no idea how he could do battle with that embedded in him." Said patient could imagine the Head Nurse shaking her head. "He had a pretty bad concussion from a photon explosion, which apparently he had no idea he was nursing until he passed out on the way back to the ship. The one in his cockpit – Trout – was mildly injured because of that same explosion."

"Seems that they got into quite a pickle back there," Tiedoll observed. "None of us expected the NOAH to send out their Dark Matter suits so quickly."

"That was a Dark Matter suit?" Lavi asked, eye shooting open then blinking at his accidental revelation of his eavesdropping.

Tiedoll let out a laugh, like he had been expecting it. "Yes, that was a Dark Matter suit. It had purple and black particles, right? We analyzed what we could salvage from Mugen and Hammer's video recordings. That's a Dark Matter and we expect the NOAH to have more of them. They were designed specifically to counter Innocence, so don't get too close. Those particles are poisonous."

"And they are powerful," Lavi said. "I've never seen anyone take out Kanda so badly."

There was a grunt from the adjourning bed. The two standing figures – the Officer and Head Nurse – rushed over to the patient. Lavi lay on his own, turning over to look at Kanda's bed.

One cobalt eyebrow twitched, then another. Kanda was frowning, like he was trying to open his eyes but had weights for eyelids. Lavi knew that feeling all too well.

"Yuu!" Tiedoll made to reach out for the pilot, but his hand was stayed by the Head Nurse.

"Let him wake up by himself. His system has taken a hit and he needs to recover on his own."

Tiedoll nodded in understanding, but then there was an annoyed hiss and a pale hand grabbed his wrist.

"What the fuck happened to my eyes?"

The Head Nurse, Tiedoll and Lavi all blinked.

"I can't open them, what the hell?"

Lavi and Tiedoll sucked in a breath. Kanda couldn't have been blinded – not by a stupid NOAH –

The Head Nurse took out some medical instruments, then said, "Wait up a moment, Kanda. "

She checked various parts of Kanda's vitals, then smiled in relief. "It's probably your body not waking up at the same time as your mind. Your eyesight should be perfectly fine in a few hours, but until then you can't open your eyes because they are able to. I'd wager your body is still in some shock because of the trauma you received from the battle."*

"You got yourself half-roasted, and Mugen half-fried," Lavi helpfully supplemented, answering the question Kanda wanted to ask. "I heard something about you getting third degree burns on your right side, and something about head trauma."

"What the fuck," Kanda snorted. "How long have I been here?"

"Six days, Yuu! Six days!" Lavi was more than a bit amused to see the usually serene and calm Officer start wailing as he leaned on Kanda's bed. He had always been closer to Kanda than Kanda liked to admit.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Kanda grumbled. "Wouldn't have wanted to meet you in the afterlife."

"That actually hurt," Tiedoll clutched at his heart but Lavi noted how he was now beaming. Kanda had, after all, just consoled him in a very Kanda way, which did not just happen every day.

It took two more days before Kanda could actually open his eyes, which meant he could only begin moving his sore and grumpy body around two days later. He was not pleased at all and made a fuss out of everything, but most of the crew on board the _Europa_ were used to his temper and simply kept away from the Medical Bay.

The two days were however too long for Lavi, who was simply raring to go to Xak-4 and save Lenalee. Either way, he was still confined to the reaches of the Medical Bay (within reach of Kanda Yuu's tyrannical rule) because he, unlike Kanda, had no superhuman regenerative abilities. Speaking of which…

"Say, Yuu, what is that tattoo on your chest for?"

"Who's Lenalee?"

Kanda's flat voice gave nothing away. Lavi's head whipped around to face him, remembering what he had promised to tell Kanda when his tongue slipped.

"She… was my girlfriend."

"And where is she now?"

"She's supposedly been abducted by the NOAH and held captive in Xak-4. She sent me a coded message ten days ago."

"Was she a long haired girl who smiled too much?"

Kanda's voice was still devoid of any emotion, and he was not looking at Lavi. Lavi blinked and swallowed, chills running down his spine. That was way too close to the bulls' eye for his liking. He could probably shut up and stop talking, but he didn't want to. Once he'd started it was like a floodgate that couldn't be stopped. "Not too much for me, but probably too much for you. I was the third person she knew who'd gone into space, but she never told me who the other two were, just told me they were two very important people to her before they left."

"I was one of the other two." Kanda turned to look at him, onyx into emerald. His gaze had a flicker of emotion, something Lavi wasn't used to seeing.

Lavi's head jerked up. "What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself, idiot usagi. I was one of the other two."

Lavi's throat suddenly felt like sandpaper, scratching with every word. "You…knew her?"

"Are you seriously that stupid? We were raised in the same village. You know, not in the city."

"Then who's the third one?"

"She never told you?" Kanda rolled his eyes. "The third one was her brother. They were separated when she was barely ten, and from what I last heard they hadn't had a chance to meet since she was fourteen when the NOAH began to turn hostile."

"She's twenty-one now," Lavi said.

Kanda nodded. "Seven years without seeing her only family. You have to hand it to her for being such a tough nut."

Lavi looked away. There as so much he hadn't known about Lenalee, and still did not know. So long together and it was like he'd barely known her. He sighed, then the question he had asked Kanda at the start popped back into his mind.

"You haven't told me about your tattoo. I told you about Lenalee, now tell me about it."

"It's… difficult to explain." Kanda frowned. "Basically it ties my life force to my Innocence."

"Why? How?" Lavi's head was cocked to one side, eyes bulging out. He looked very much like a curious child. Kanda rolled his eyes. Why he had been unlucky enough to deal with such an annoying person as a fellow pilot was beyond his understanding.

"It's a complicated story, but something happened when I was synchronizing with Mugen. Head honchos of the Black Order used me as a guinea pig, my life force got tied to Mugen. Tch, why am I even telling you all this?" Kanda scowled, looking more irritated than ever.

"Is that why you hate the Order so much?" Lavi asked. It was no secret that Kanda hated the Black Order and their ways; he was renowned for once spitting at the feet of one of the Officers. It had been quite a sight to see, with Lavi's first ever impression of the dark-haired pilot being one of rebellion. There had been rumours, of course, that Kanda was a valuable asset (read: extremely capable pilot) of the Order and that was how he got away with such actions.

"None of your business," the other grumbled. "Now shut up."

"But Yuu!"

Lavi's protests were met with silence from his neighboring bed. Kanda's back was facing him, so he had no idea whether the latter was simply tired or just wanted to kill the conversation.

Back facing the noisy rabbit, Kanda silently fumed to himself. What in the world had possessed him to tell Lavi all that? He was probably the first person in all the years of Kanda's time at the Order to find out about the bond from Kanda himself.

He placed one hand over his tattoo, the warmth of the bond thrumming under his touch. The blasted NOAH suit had done some serious damage to Mugen, which had resulted in himself being seriously injured as well. Usually he would have recovered quickly enough, but the bond had been adversely affected by Mugen being downed, which resulted in the extended trauma he had experienced.

Though…what he had found out from Lavi had been equal parts worrying and comforting. It was good to know that Lenalee had been safe and well, but bad that it was a _had been_ and that she was now potentially a hostage of the NOAH.

He would not put it past the redhead to want to go on a crazy mission to save her.

"If you are going to save her," he said to the open air in front of him, knowing that Lavi could hear him full well, "I'm coming as well."

To her at least he owed the promise of bringing Komui back.

* * *

**31 July, Unknown Time, Prison Cell #08-21, Xak-4**

Once again alone in her prison cell after an interrogation and a few tests by a large man who seemed to be more interested in the lollipop he was eating than the questions he was asking her, Lenalee found herself staring into blank space. She was no stranger to loneliness, or being left alone for long periods; in fact she liked to have her alone time and this was no different.

Her thoughts were beginning to drift, back into the distant past, as they had become prone to doing ever since she had been locked up here.

_A gentle beeping on her mobile phone, as she lay sprawled on her bed. She was inside her junior high dormitory, and her final Grade Eight exams had just ended. Her holidays were just beginning. She reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her phone._

_"__New Message from Contact: Nii-san"_

_Her eyes lit up. She opened the message, eagerly awaiting the news he had for her. He never messaged her unless he was planning to come back to Earth to visit her, because he could not afford to frequently send messages from space. _

_"__Dear Lenalee,_

_Sorry for not contacting you earlier. Your school term should be ending soon, if I recall correctly? I will hopefully be able to return to Earth to see you in two weeks. I will contact you again when I get the exact details._

_Take good care of yourself, I miss you."_

_His message was short and to the point, but at that moment she missed him more than ever. _

_Skipping to a week later, she received another message from him._

_"__Lenalee, I am really very sorry. The higher-ups have not confirmed when I can return as the project I am working on has just met with some complications and they need me around to fix it. I will try to make it back as fast as I can."_

_Her heart had dropped, down to the hollow pits of her soul. _

_Two weeks later, he sent a third message._

_"__Lenalee, I cannot begin to apologize to you. I cannot leave the Order as we are currently in the midst of conflict with the NOAH which is expected to develop into long-term warfare. I cannot give you a date or a time when I can come back home, but I will come back for you. I miss you with all my heart."_

_She had buried her head into her pillow, hot tears finding their home in the soft material there._

_A loud sigh of annoyance, then a rustle of fabric from her right. She looked up. The taller boy had stood up, and was now towering over her, his long hair swaying in the light breeze. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him."_

_"__What do you -?"_

_"__I got the call today. They said my body stats were exceeding those they had expected from a mixed-blood Sector like myself. They want me to leave for space in five days." He turned to her, eyes flaming with a determination she was familiar with. "If I meet him, I'll drag him back to you and kill him afterwards." _

_She nodded, lips curving into a weak smile. He was going to bring nii-san back, but that meant she would be losing him as well. "Take care, Kanda. I will be praying for you."_

* * *

* Author's note: Head trauma can really lead to temporary/permanent blindness but I had no idea how to dump all the medical jargon in here therefore! (I think, therefore I am.) (Wrong context? It's okay.) This is something the author of this story came up with because she is not a medical student. Please do not use this as a medical reference. It is all purely fiction!

Belated update, just like before. The story is actually going into darker realms than I have ever written before, so I am quite anxious and would like your feedback on how it is progressing.

Please leave a review and let me know - what do you like/dislike about the story? I would love to improve my writing and give this story new ways to grow and I can only do that if my readers help me out.

Much love!


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